Berlin - A Fantastic City with an Interesting History

Henry....we have to tell you that we think your homeland is a beautiful country, the people are very nice to us foreigners, and the food is excellent.

Today was a day of sightseeing....actually, I think it was all you could fit in a day!! We boarded the big 'yellow' bus this morning and took a quick drive by Checkpoint Charlie, the new Jewish Museum, Charlottenburg Palace, Victoria (the Goddess of Victory), diplomatic embassies, and some of the best streets of shopping I have ever seen in my life. Behind Jim is the Brandenburg Gate - truly mesmerizing!

We also took a 1 hour boat tour down the Spree. Thankfully, it rained before we started the boat tour, but stopped during the tour.

There is a bit of everything along the banks of the Spree, phenomenal architecture (old and new), paths to stroll and admire the sights, and lush green vegetation.

We went to see the Holocaust Memorial, which was created by Peter Eisenman, an American architect. There are 2,711 gray concrete stelae. The slabs become higher as you approach the center, where they almost block out the sun.

Then it was off to the Reichstag (Germany's Parliament) for a tour of the glass cupola. As you travel up the ramp to the top of the glass dome, you are treated to 360 degree views of Berlin.

Some people refer to it as being trapped in a giant glass spider's web.

The dome is open at the very top to allow stale air to escape. It has a collection mechanism under the opening which captures rain and snow.

Finally, it was off to the SONY centre to find a restaurant for dinner, and did we pick a good one tonight. We all enjoyed some Jagerschnitzel with homemade potatoes and vegetables followed by Austrian Nut Tubs (we cannot remember the true name) with custard, pancakes filled with cream cheese and homemade apple strudel with custard sauce......

This is a picture of Ampelmannchen, and he is my new favorite character. He is on the street lights here in Berlin. I did not realize that he is considered "one of the sole features of communist East Germany to have survived the fall of the Iron Curtain with his popularity unscathed". He is now a very popular souvenir item here.

Tomorrow, we are going to stroll through the Tiergarten (garden), see Victory up close, tour Charlottenburg Palace, and hope to take in a museum.